Steven Tyler to Trump: ‘Stop Playing Aerosmith Music at Your Rallies’

Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler has sent President Donald Trump a cease-and-desist notice after Trump and his team played the band’s 1993 hit “Livin’ on the Edge” at a rally in West Virginia.

According to Variety, the notice accuses Trump of “falsely implying that our client ... endorses his campaign and/or his presidency, as evidenced by actual confusion seen from the reactions of our client’s fans all over social media.”

The song was played as the audience at the event entered the Charleston Civic Center, in Charleston, W.V., and was captured in a tweet by CNN reporter Jim Acosta.

In the cease-and-desist notice, Tyler’s attorney cites the Lanham Act, which prohibits “any false designation or misleading description or representation of fact … likely to cause confusion … as to the affiliation, connection, or association of such person with another person.”

There has been no response from the White House to Tyler’s notice.

It is not the first time Aerosmith and the president have clashed over the latter’s use of Aerosmith music at his events. In 2015, Trump received two cease-and-desist notices from the Aerosmith camp over his use of their hit “Dream On” at campaign rallies. Trump agreed to stop using “Dream On” at the time, though he contended he had paid for the rights to use the song.

Trump ran afoul of other artists during his campaign for allegedly using their music at events without permission. Queen, Elton John, the Rolling Stones and Neil Young called him out on it, though Trump reserved particular vitriol for Young, who had apparently met with the then-candidate in search of what Trump referred to as money "for an audio deal" (presumably Young's Pono service). The president-to-be called Young a “total hypocrite” for not allowing him to play “Rockin’ in the Free World” at his events.

Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, on the other hand, gave Trump permission to use the band’s 1984 hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It” at campaign rallies. "Donald Trump is a good friend and a great guy,” he said at the time, “and I support him turning the political system on its head.” Snider later took it all back, saying he "couldn't be friends" with Trump anymore, noting "I disagree with what he believes."